Read Genesis 2:21-25- 21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 23 The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” 24 That is why a man
leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. 25 Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

Notice the beautiful poem that Adam shares, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” This is also a play on kinship, family, but the depth of this is saying, out of one came two, but are one, are unified. The depth of oneness.

Yes, it gives us this invitation to marriage, why a man leaves his father and mother and is united with his wife. That picture of united with his wife, some translations says, “cleaved to his wife”, the picture of leaving and cleaving. Leaving the family unit to cleave to another. The picture of this is their lives are interlocked. Interlocked emotionally, physically, psychologically, spiritually. God gave married couples the gift of sex, intimacy of unity.

I do want to briefly share, this passage and others, is why I do believe God designed sex to be in the confines of marriage. It’s not because God or I am an old fuddy-duddy. It is because he knows the depth of closeness and oneness you were created to experience and that sex is a gift to be used in marriage. There is a tearing apart of lives when we choose to live by our wisdom of sexuality versus God’s design.

Please hear me, I’m not saying this out of shame and guilt. Because notice how Genesis 2:25 closes, they were “together” and felt no shame. The invitation for marriage was God’s design, it got corrupted by sin, and we try to live by our understanding of sexuality. That’s why we need grace and you are offered grace. Amazing grace. If you desire to meet with God around his design, please, take some time with him and commit yourself to God’s design of intimacy.

My point is this, community is two out of one to be one. Community is oneness. God created humanity to be singular and plural, to be one and out of one to be two, a dependence on one another to experience tov, the goodness of his creation.

Tim Mackie shares it this way. “One human cannot do what God has called them to do alone. There must be many humans who are different. When the many realize they are one because of their differences, not in spite of them, their oneness images God more richly than one human can do.”

Which means, how do we live with community as withness, togetherness, and oneness, that is God’s invitation?

If there is division, what’s causing the divide? How can you move towards unity?

In your singleness, how are you honoring God’s wisdom of life? Similar question to married couples, how are you honoring God’s wisdom of unity?

I would also encourage you to spend some time with this song, it may be exactly what you need to live in God’s grace as he redefines intimacy for you. Amazing Grace- My Chains are Gone
Heavenly Father, thank You for creating us for community, for withness, for togetherness. Forgive us when we try to live independently, when we hide our loneliness, when we refuse the help You provide through others. Give us courage to reach out, wisdom to be the helper someone needs, and humility to receive help when we need it. May we reflect Your image more fully as we live in unity with one another, side by side, becoming one in purpose and love. In Jesus' name, Amen.